Flourishing brand opens first store in Torquay

One of Australia’s fasted growing skincare brands is now calling the Surf Coast home, after opening its flagship retail store in Torquay.

After three years flourishing in the e-commerce world, Tribe Skincare has this month opened its doors to walk-in customers as an add-on to its booming online presence.

The eye-catching store is attached to Tribe’s warehouse on Haystacks Drive, giving Surf Coast locals the opportunity to test the products and receive personalised skincare advice.

Kayla Houlihan, 30, founded Tribe Skincare in 2017 after seeing a gap in the market for skincare for sensitive skin.

“There were a few brands with products for sensitive skin or small ranges for this skin type, but no brands were purely focusing on it,” Kayla said.

A qualified skin therapist with years of industry experience, Kayla knew exactly what ingredients would help sensitive skin, so she worked alongside a cosmetic pharmacist to bring Tribe’s formulas to life.

“I had a skin clinic on Pakington Street in Geelong for three years and around half of our customers had sensitive skin, but we couldn’t find the perfect range for our clients to use,” she said.

“So I set out to create the perfect range based on our clients’ needs and feedback.”

The entire Tribe Skincare range is all natural, vegan-friendly and made in Australia using local ingredients.

Since hitting the market in 2017, more than 50,000 people across Australia have used the skincare and the business has also expanded into the New Zealand market.

The range has grown from four products at initial launch to 13 skincare products and a mineral makeup range.

“All of our new skincare has been developed with customer feedback and demand in mind,” Kayla said.

“The customers told us what they think is missing in the range and they’d give us feedback throughout the entire process, from packaging to scents, etc.

“It’s a really fun process and we know the customer satisfaction will be there when they hit the market.”

COVID-19 has presented many challenges for small businesses this year and when asked about this, Kayla said “we are very fortunate to be in the skincare industry and also fully-operational online”.

Until earlier this year, Kayla had been running Tribe Skincare from home, but another significant growth spurt in March meant the time had come for the business to move into the Torquay warehouse, where it has been since July.

“The warehouse has allowed us to increase stock so we can further expand the range and avoid constantly selling out,” Kayla said.

“We are a team of three here now and can process hundreds of orders a day from this facility.”

The new premises also created the opportunity to open a store.

“The warehouse is brand new and such a lovely building with big windows at the front which were perfect for a retail store. We sectioned off the front of the building and have created a beautiful shopping space where locals can come in to touch and feel the skincare and makeup.” Kayla said.

She said Tribe has been overwhelmed by the local support so far.

“We have only been open for two weeks and have already had more than 100 people come through. It’s so nice to meet the customers in person, rather than online where all we see is a name.”

When asked about the future of Tribe Skincare, Kayla explained “We would love to see the range available in more stores in the future. We are looking at pitching to some large retailers in 2021 with Mecca Maxima stores being the absolute dream.”

Tribe Skincare is located at 2/1 Haystacks Drive Torquay VIC 3228
Opening hours are 1pm – 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
They are also opening this Saturday, October 31, from 10am – 1pm.